People in Spain who have already been scammed are being targeted again by so-called recovery scams, a second fraud that promises to get lost money back but instead demands more payments. For residents, bank customers and anyone searching online for help after a fraud, the practical warning is simple: if someone says they have found your money and asks for fees in advance, specialists say that is a major danger sign.

Maldita.es reports the case of Sergio, a fictitious name, who said he lost €38,463.40 over six years while trying to recover €243,009 that he had already lost in a romance scam in 2019. He told the outlet that a supposed victim support association called Stop Estafas claimed the money had been recovered, then cut off contact on 19 January 2026.

"On 19 January 2026, they cut off all communication with me without any reason. At that moment, I realised I had been a victim of a scam again," Sergio told Maldita.es.

According to the source material, the Stop Estafas website, which was no longer available as of 13 July 2026, showed links to public bodies including the CNMV, Spain's National Securities Market Commission, the Tax Agency, the National Police and the Civil Guard in order to appear credible.

Why previous victims are being approached again

The National Cybersecurity Institute, known as INCIBE, says recovery scams specifically target people who have already been defrauded. The method is to pose as lawyers, specialist companies, public bodies or even police officers, and claim that the funds have been traced or are about to be released.

The victim is then asked to pay supposed taxes, court costs, administrative charges or commissions first. In other cases, according to INCIBE as cited in the source report, scammers ask for remote access to a computer or tell the victim to open a new cryptocurrency wallet as part of the fake recovery process.

CriminaLaw, a criminology firm specialising in criminal law, told Maldita.es that about 40% of digital scam victims are scammed again while trying to recover their money. Europa Press separately reported the same figure from CriminaLaw on 30 June 2026. The same specialists said they have identified cases in which victims were caught by this type of fraud up to seven times in a row.

"For the fraud market, someone who has already paid once is the best possible customer," Javier Sanz, a criminologist specialising in cybercrime, told Maldita.es.

Sanz said criminals may recontact the same person because they already hold their data from the first scam, or because victim lists are sold between criminal groups. Those lists, known in fraud jargon as "sucker lists", can include names, contact details and information about the earlier fraud, making a new approach look more convincing.

How the approach is made to look believable

Experts cited by Maldita.es said recovery scammers often know specific details about the original fraud, such as the amount lost or the date it happened. Rather than proving the caller is genuine, Sanz said that level of detail can be a warning that the victim's information has already circulated among criminals.

CriminaLaw said victims also make themselves easier to find when they search online for terms such as how to recover money from a scam, lawyers for scams or companies that can unblock funds. According to the specialists, that can lead platforms to show adverts or websites created by fraudsters themselves.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has also warned about fictitious law firms targeting people who have already lost money in cryptocurrency frauds, according to its 2025 public service announcement on IC3.gov.

  • Unsolicited contact by phone, email, text message or social media
  • Claims that the money has already been found before the case is checked
  • Requests for advance payments labelled as taxes, fees or commissions
  • Pressure to act urgently
  • Demands for payment in cryptocurrency or other hard-to-trace methods
  • Requests for passwords, login details or remote access software

Why victims may pay again

Victifin, an association specialising in financial scams and fraud, told Maldita.es that the promise of recovering money can appeal to people who have lost not only savings but also their sense of control after the first fraud. The group said this can act as a response to what it described as financial grief.

CriminaLaw said another factor is the sunk cost fallacy, where someone who has already lost a large amount may think one final payment is worth the risk if it could unlock a much bigger sum. Sanz said the effect is made stronger when the supposed recovery agent presents themselves as a rescuer and the victim is under stress.

What to do if you are contacted or have already paid

For readers who have received one of these approaches, the most immediate step is to stop sending money and contact their bank at once. Sanz told Maldita.es that speed matters because the earlier a transfer is challenged, the better the chance of stopping or reversing it.

He also advised saving evidence before it disappears, including emails, screenshots, messages, links, account numbers and any other details used by the fraudsters. Blocking the sender may be sensible, he said, but deleting chats is not.

"None of them charge you an upfront fee to unblock funds," Sanz said of legitimate routes such as bank chargebacks, reporting the fraud to police, or taking legal action.

He said the second fraud should be reported as a separate offence, not treated simply as a continuation of the first one. The source material also stresses that relatives and friends should avoid blaming victims, because denial is common and admitting a second scam can be especially difficult.

Anyone checking suspicious phone numbers linked to financial fraud can also use Condusef's free Consulta y Reporta tool, which source material says is available 24 hours a day and allows users to search previously reported numbers and submit new reports.

Primary sources: ic3.gov. Reported by Source Text Link, Jessica Ignot, Lucas Martorell, adn40.mx, 1.folha.uol.com.br, Lobo del Aire, infobae.com, malaymail.com, thestar.com.my, law.com, mothership.sg, Tutela Digitalis, Larry Márquez, europapress.es, Vídeo: Europa Press, aarp.org, maldita.es.